Christopher MitchellA Hayden man is charged with murder following a weekend accident that killed a Birmingham woman.

Pamela Cupps, 50, was killed Saturday at Daniel Payne Drive and Coalburg Road when a car driven by a shoplifting suspect ran a red light and crashed into her vehicle.

Birmingham police today said they have charged Christopher Mitchell, 21, with murder. He also is charged with first-degree assault for injuries suffered by Cupps' husband, David, who remains in critical condition at UAB Hospital.

Mitchell was treated for injuries sustained in the wreck and released Monday afternoon from UAB Hospital. He now is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on $300,000 bond.

Fultondale police said the officer involved in the chase did not know he was pursuing a shoplifting suspect when the chase started, but rather a vehicle driving recklessly and speeding in a busy shopping center. The officer followed department policy, said Lt. Phillip Mangina, of Fultondale police. Patrol officers were advised to be on the lookout for a vehicle involved in a theft at Best Buy at 6:20 p.m. Saturday.

Almost immediately an officer working another call in the shopping center saw a vehicle with the same description doing an abrupt U-turn to avoid his patrol car in the middle of Lowery Parkway, which was full of traffic. The car sped away from the scene creating a dangerous situation in a busy shopping center, Mangina said.

The officer pursued the vehicle along Lowery Parkway in the shopping center and then south along U.S. 31 for about a mile before entering Interstate 65, Mangina said.

The suspect's vehicle, which reached an estimated 100 mph during the chase, was slowed by heavy traffic on the interstate and the officer was able to get his tag number, Smith said. The officer followed supervisor orders to stop the pursuit at that time.

The suspect took the first exit off the interstate at 41st Avenue and ran a traffic signal at Daniel Payne Drive and Coalburg Road, Smith said. The officer saw the wreck as he exited the interstate. View Slayings in the Birmingham area, 2010 in a larger map